Gilgit weather in December

In December, Gilgit sees average daytime highs of -11°C and overnight lows near -19°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 11.6 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -9°C in the first days to -12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gilgit's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gilgit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-11°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-19°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:12 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
2 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Gilgit is city in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -9°C in the first days to -12°C by the end.

A typical December day in Gilgit reaches about -11°C in the afternoon and slips back to -19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -16°C and -6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-9-17
2-9-17
3-9-17
4-9-18
5-9-18
6-10-18
7-10-18
8-10-18
9-10-18
10-10-18
11-10-18
12-10-18
13-10-18
14-11-18
15-11-18
16-11-19
17-11-19
18-11-19
19-11-19
20-11-19
21-11-19
22-11-19
23-11-19
24-11-19
25-12-19
26-12-19
27-12-19
28-12-19
29-12-19
30-12-19
31-12-19

How December really feels in Gilgit

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Gilgit weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-12° / -19°811314.59.80.0
Feb-9° / -16°11114.415.610.60.0
Mar-4° / -13°13916.116.811.70.0
Apr / -8°12713.313.512.90.0
May / -4°12014.210.713.90.6
Jun14° / 11415.52.114.43.7
Jul19° / 11119.20.114.25.2
Aug19° / 11320.30.113.45.0
Sep14° / 11418.33.312.23.6
Oct / -7°9212.510.311.10.4
Nov-6° / -15°709.710.410.10.0
Dec-11° / -19°7111.612.79.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45149
55050
65050
74951
84852
94951
104852
114852
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174852
184852
194852
204753
214753
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
274654
284654
294654
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gilgit gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 11.6 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13639
23639
33740
43740
53841
63841
73841
83942
93942
103942
113942
123941
133841
143841
153841
163841
173741
183741
193741
203741
213741
223741
233741
243741
253741
263741
273841
283842
293842
303942
313943

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 2 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 2 km/h on the calmest days to 2 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
12calm
22calm
32calm
42calm
52calm
62calm
72calm
82calm
92calm
102calm
112calm
122calm
132calm
142calm
152calm
162calm
172calm
182calm
192calm
202calm
212calm
222calm
232calm
242calm
252calm
262calm
272calm
282calm
292calm
302calm
312calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:004:45
29.77:014:45
39.77:024:45
49.77:034:44
59.77:044:44
69.77:054:44
79.77:054:44
89.67:064:45
99.67:074:45
109.67:084:45
119.67:084:45
129.67:094:45
139.67:104:45
149.67:104:46
159.67:114:46
169.67:124:46
179.67:124:46
189.67:134:47
199.67:134:47
209.67:144:48
219.67:144:48
229.67:154:49
239.67:154:49
249.67:164:49
259.67:164:50
269.67:174:51
279.67:174:51
289.67:174:52
299.67:184:52
309.67:184:53
319.67:184:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.03 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.03 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 3.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gilgit?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gilgit.

What to pack for Gilgit in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Gilgit sees daytime highs around -11°C and nights near -19°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Gilgit in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gilgit peaks around May 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateMay 19UV 13Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr12Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Gilgit in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Gilgit is worst in January — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (September, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1630 µg/m³Sep 1312 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb29Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct15Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gilgit?

Gilgit sits at 35.9°N, 74.3°E, 1,467 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Hunza, 55 km away.

SkarduMuzaffarabadMurreeIshqoshimIslamabadĀsmārKhorugh

Topography around Gilgit

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gilgit.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gilgit has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,690 m around an average of 1,781 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,952 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,102 m.

The land around Gilgit is covered by bare terrain (54%) within 3 km, bare terrain (54%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (38%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,690 m
16 km
3,952 m
80 km
7,102 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Hunza 55 km · Skardu 138 km · Muzaffarabad 188 km · Murree 239 km · Ishqoshim 258 km · Islamabad 270 km · Āsmār 285 km · Khorugh 302 km

Pakistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,596
2025
Happiness
4.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 493
Religion
Muslim 96%Hindu 2%Christian 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Gilgit (35.9187°, 74.3124°, elevation 1,467 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).